Residents Encouraged To Provide Input On Concerns About Natural And Human-Caused HazardsQuestionnaire Available On City’s Website

The city of Las Vegas Office of Emergency Management (OEM), in cooperation with the cities of Boulder City, Henderson, Mesquite and North Las Vegas; Clark County and special districts of Clark County schools, Regional Flood Control, Southern Nevada Health District and Water Reclamation, has launched a regional effort to review the risks posed by man-made and natural disasters and to identify ways to reduce the damage from those risks.

The agencies are looking for the public’s input in identifying their concerns about natural and human-caused hazards. Residents are encouraged to provide their feedback through a hazard mitigation questionnaire that is now available on the city’s emergency management website, www.LVAlert.com. The feedback will be incorporated into the development of the 2012 Clark County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP).

The city is in the process of updating the HMP, which was authorized in 2005. An HMP is required under the Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 in order for jurisdictions to be eligible to receive certain forms of federal disaster assistance. OEM has received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for revision of the HMP.

Southern Nevada is vulnerable to a wide range of disasters. In the past 10 years, Clark County has received seven Presidential disaster declarations due to fires, flooding and severe winter storms. The HMP provides the county and the participating cities with the necessary tools to prioritize future actions for reducing the damage from the risks of fire, flooding and severe winter storms, as well as a number of additional hazards this region is susceptible to. Additionally, the plan will provide a framework for future requests for federal assistance to help reduce risks from disasters.

A draft of the plan will be available and open for public comment toward the beginning of June. The plan will also be posted to www.LVAlert.com.